Driving demand is one of the key routes to recovery for Australia’s tourism industry following the devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to Australian Tourism Industry Council Executive Director Simon Westaway.
He told Sky News the half-priced airfares – offered by the federal government – were a “good first step”.
“Demand driving is going to be part of the road back, and why it’s important is the domestic tourism industry is the backbone of our broader tourism and visitor economy.
“We were, pre-the-virus, a $150 billion plus sector. One in 12 working Australians worked in the broader tourism industry and that broader visitor economy.
“The numbers now are really galling, the industry lost $90 billion in value in 2020 … it is now in excess of one in 22 Australians working in the visitor economy.”
Mr Westaway said it was also key to boost confidence among Australians to travel throughout the country as well as obtaining certainty aroun
Huntley Mitchell 16 Mar 2021
The federal government’s recently-announced support package for Australia’s tourism industry has drawn further criticism from senior figures.
Joel Katz, managing director for Australasia at the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), said that while the
new stimulus measures are a step forward, there needs to be a broader focus on the tourism economy, including tangible progress on the restart of cruising to act as an impetus for hard-hit businesses that rely on the sector.
“While the government’s package may assist some of the thousands of Australian cruise specialist travel agents impacted by travel restrictions after the end of JobKeeper, it provides only limited relief while little progress is made towards the resumption of cruising,” he said.
Cheap flights don t come without risks â even if they re subsidised by the government
SatSaturday 13
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SatSaturday 13
The Government will subsidise flights to Alice Springs, offering easy access to Uluru.
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When you re a child, taking a holiday is easy â you just tag along and have as much fun as possible.
When you grow older, you realise how much planning your parents needed to do to make it a memorable trip.
Some of this planning is hard work, but when you get it right, it pays off. But during the coronavirus pandemic â even with the help of a $1.2 billion scheme â not even hard work may be able to save you from your plans falling apart.
Around 800,000 half-price airline tickets are being made available as part of a $1.2 billion tourism support package unveiled by the federal government, but there are a few things you should know before you try to book.